This biography investigates the complex political career and personal contradictions of Jim Cairns, a prominent figure in the Australian Labor Party during the mid-20th century. Paul Ormonde, a journalist who covered Cairns during his active years, utilizes contemporary reporting, personal interviews, and public records to examine the trajectory of a man who rose to become Deputy Prime Minister before his career collapsed under the weight of scandal and ideological shifts. The text argues that Cairns's political identity was defined by a tension between his intellectual idealism and his impulsive personal choices.

Experts recognize this work as a primary source for understanding the internal volatility of the Whitlam-era Labor government. Readers frequently note the journalistic tone of the prose, which balances historical documentation with the personal observations of a contemporary observer.